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5 June 2012

Second day out over Jubilee weekend (17.4nm 72.8nm total)

Sailing with tiller lashed off Poole Quay

It has been a pretty poor long weekend, weatherwise, but the Monday looked the best so I grabbed it. High cloud but not too bad and a good breeze. I was out with the full sail for the whole day (apart from motoring up and down the Frome to Wareham) The sail works very well. The full length battens make it harder to raise and lower. On the way up they stick in the lazy jacks. On the way down the battens can twist which twists the sliders which jamb in the slot. Tension has to be kept on the halyard.

Wareham was busy and I had to raft up to go ashore for a Guiness. Spent an hour splicing a hard eye for the lazy jacks to go through at the tack of the sail. Now no blocks are used on the sail controls at all, it is all hard eyes and fairleads. The friction is probably higher, but the the lead of the lines is always ideal and it all looks good.

Interested to see the lines on the port side of the boom. If reefing while on stbd, you would still have right of way. All done now so no worries. Could suggest a strop through the clew and round the boom to help keep the foot close to the boom.

I have thought of both ideas. To be able to heave to on starboard for reefing would be a good idea. Not a major job to switch things over to the other side. The main thing would be refitting the cleats on the other side. If we ever get a warm spell it is the sort of thing I would do bobbing at anchor in the sunshine. We can only hope.